Thursday, December 28, 2006

Must admit, I haven't been into the bowl season thus far. I mean, Central Michigan against Middle Tennessee? Troy vs. Rice? Utah-Tulsa? Are those college football bowl games or second round NIT match ups? Pardon me if I don't set my TiVo.

Well, out of sheer boredom I decided to tune in to watch some of the UCLA-FSU Emerald Bowl. At least that sounded like a college football game.

But I'm confused.

Because my TV said I was watching ESPN but it sure looked and sounded a hell of a lot like cable access.

Sweet Jesus, was that bad!

Whoever thought it was a good idea to make Dan Fouts a play-by-play guy should either be forced to watch the broadcast again or sandpaper his balls for three hours as punishment. And if you didn't watch the game, trust me when I say both are equally as painful. Because that was about as interesting as listening to the yearly open enrollment benefits seminar at Procter & Gamble.

And the overall quality of the broadcast was just plain frustrating. Like that FSU touchdown on 3rd and nine in the 4th quarter where the UCLA DB ended up on the ground. Fouts kept saying that it was definitely offensive pass interference. Over and over again. So along with everybody watching on TV, I'm wating to see the replay but...nothing.

So Dan adds, "Boy, I'd like to see that one again." Hint,hint. As if he was begging somebody in the truck to show it once more.

Still nothing.

I can only assume they plain missed it. But instead of somebody telling the audience we don't have a good angle and can't show it to you again - after going on and on about the play - they just went to commercial then came back and pretended it never happened.

Oh, and speaking of commercials, equally as bad were the Emerald ads during the game. It's almost like they sponsored a bowl so the CEO's kid who always wanted to be in advertising could shoot some really crappy commercials for his reel.

Now I remember why I've skipped the bowl season thus far. At least I only have to wait two days until the excitement of Clemson-Kentucky, Texas Tech-Minnesota and - yes, and - South Carolina vs. Houston. Somebody pinch me...or sedate me.

27 comments:

Brad
said...

I forget who the color guy was, but for the longest time after I tuned in he didn't say anything, and I was thinking ESPN had sent Fouts out to do the game all by his lonesome. I was highly amused by the image of Fouts talking to himself in the booth and became highly dissapointed to find out otherwise.

From now on referees should ask people watching at home for advice on instant replays. Anyone with a TV could have corrected the out of bounds kickoff call in 5 seconds. Instead we had to wait for the instant replay official to confirm something we already knew.

Hey bro, you are getting on the wrong guy I think,it was Tim BRant that kept saying that it was obviously pass interference when Carr caught the touchdown pass. I thought the game itself was pretty good and did anyone else get the image of Carr standing in the end zone plastered over the tv screen as Fouts and Brant were talking about the upcoming kickoff, it stayed on my screen for a good 30 seconds or longer.

I've had the flu since Friday and have been on an odd biorhythm ever since. I'm in bed at two in the morning, choosing between the re-broadcast of the Emerald Bowl and the World Series of Darts on ESPN II.

At first, I watch football and only go to the darts during commercials. By halftime, I'm watching only darts. Eventually I go back to sleep and don't find out who won the football game until this morning.

When it's less painful to watch fat men throw needles, you know it's a bad broadcast.

Fouts and Brant are the 3rd-worst commentating team in sports (Pam Ward and anyone else come in 1st, and Mike Patrick is a close 2nd). First Brant couldn't get anyone's name right, then Fouts saying ridiculous shit like Lorenzo Booker is expected to go in the 1st round. It was a goddamn cable access show with ESPN plastered on the front.

I got home & realized that there was actually a game semi-worth watching finally & turned it on in the 2nd quarter. After about 10 minutes I was already questioning the quality of announcing. It was almost bad enough to turn off, yet there was nothing else on & also the game was close.

I agree that Pam Ward has to be the worst announcer in college football. There has been more than a few times I've wanted to watch a game & turn to it only to hear this horrible play-by-play & resort to watching a game I care much less about instead just because of that fact.

Beast -- LOL You reminded me of a time in college when I came home from the bars and started flipping throught the channels. The only things ESPN (1, 2 or The Ocho) were running at that wee hour were Chuckwagon Racing and Figure ROLLERskating. (Swear to god!!! LOL)

With these lesser bowls on (for now), I hope they give those options again. (I can't believe I missed the darts!!! Damn.)

I'm just happy FSU didn't suck. For the first time in a long while, I have a positive outlook on next season. We finished with a good win, we get new coaches, we get new coaches, and we get new coaches.

It seems to be just the CBS or SEC commentators that have a clue. On ABC Musberger is a moron and so is Herbstreit.

Anon 9:42

Perhaps a Florida troll in our midst?

At any rate, prior to even visiting the blog today I was wondering if it was just me or does Fouts suck that bad? He's been on TV for years; covering Pac 10 for ABC. (even used to be Keith Jackson’s partner when KJ came out of retirement the first time with the stipulation that KJ would only do games within same day travel distance of his home in California)... And I've never heard complaints before... but then again the rest of the country doesn't regularly get Pac 10 games.

I loved the call on delay of game penalty in the third quarter where Fouts said the pass was incomplete. WTF... there was no pass... there was a penalty before the ball was snapped!

As a UCLA alum, I had to watch the wretched game. Painful to watch, both the game it self, and the coverage. I got the frozen picture, as well. Poor play calling, camera work shoddy, etc. They must have hired local crews who cover the Raiders.

Yost, you should feel fortunate that you don't live on the west coast - we seem to get Fouts for every decent Pac 10 game out here. I think he got his head rattled a few too many times when he was in San Diego.

Lord how I wish I was 30 years younger so that I could enjoy more or Keith Jackson......sorry, but he was the best there ever was. WHOOOOOOOOOOOoOAAAAAAAAAAAAA NELLIE!

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